A/N: Yet another new Miraculous Ladybug story. I have too many of these, I know, but this is my main fandom right now. I just bought the third DVD about a week ago, and it's renewed my love for the show. I hope you guys will like this story. It has some medical terminology, and there are times when I feel like I have no idea what I'm talking about, so any nurses or otherwise medically inclined people out there reading this, feel free to correct me, okay?
Slightly inspired by American Horror Story: Asylum (but I couldn't imagine putting Adrikens and Mari in an asylum).
As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story, except for Dr. Murphy.
Okay, please read, review, and enjoy!
Marinette could feel sunlight bleaching her eyelids before her heavenly blue eyes ever fluttered open. She sighed, using a hand to block the rays from her face. She hated it when nurses came in to open the curtains before she woke up. Sitting up, the teen popped her neck, then swung her bare legs over the side of the bed, pulling down her shorts slightly. Her roommate, Juleka, was still sleeping peacefully, her black and purple hair a mess on her face and shoulders. Marinette giggled quietly, tip-toeing out the door, closing it softly behind her.
She really needed coffee before she went to visit Nathaniel. As she stood outside the nurses' station, she decided to pour him a cup as well. Knowing him, Nathaniel had probably been up all night painting again, and could use a pick-me-up. After adding creamer and sugar to both the coffees, she topped both the drinks and then headed for the elevator.
It dinged in a cheery tone, and the doors slid open, revealing two nurses. She stepped inside, hitting the button for the fourth floor. Her claustrophobia gnawed at her a little, but she pushed it away when the elevator reached Nathaniel's floor. Her bare feet felt cold against the blue tile. Why was this floor always so much colder than her own?
The black-haired girl finally reached room 418 and used her forehead to knock on the door. "Nathaniel?" she called. There was no response, so she slowly pushed the door open with her hip. "Nathaniel, I brought fuel." But Nathaniel wasn't there. Neither was his easel, his drawings, his get well cards and lilies. Instead, there was a blonde boy wearing basketball shorts in the bed, both his legs in casts. He had a black eye, too, she noticed, as he was staring at her. Marinette swallowed. "You're not Nathaniel."
The teen shook his head. "No, I'm not." He pushed himself up onto his elbows, squeezing his eyes shut in obvious pain. "I'm sorry," he told her, his blond hair falling into his green eyes. Even banged up, Marinette's heart fluttered at how handsome he was.
Rocking back on her heels, Marinette mumbled, "I guess I have the wrong room. Sorry." She stepped outside to look at the room number, but lo and behold, this was room 418. Quirking a brow in confusion, she made her way to the nurses' station. "Excuse me." A redheaded nurse around her age named Sabrina looked up. "What happened to Nathaniel Kurtzberg? He's not in his room," she asked, pointing down the hall.
The redhead went even paler than she already was, covering her mouth with one hand. "Oh...I guess no one's told you." She paused when Marinette didn't react. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Nathaniel passed away last night."
Marinette froze, staring somewhere past Sabrina but not at anything in particular. "Oh," she mumbled. Then without thought, she set down the coffee on the counter, turned, and walked back to room 418. The blonde boy was still there, and she burst into tears, falling to her knees. This wasn't a nightmare, and Nathaniel was really gone.
Adrien wanted to get out of bed, to walk over to this girl and hold her, but he couldn't. "I'm so sorry," he told her, his voice low, having guessed what she was reacting to. Those tears could only mean one thing, the way she tremored and sobbed.
The girl shook her head. "I thought I was ready. I knew he had cancer, I knew he was going to die, I just didn't think he would die now. He was supposed to die ten years from now, or fifteen years from now, any time but now."
They both shared a long moment of silence, the only sound in the room being Marinette's sniffling and moaning softly in agony. She finally wiped her nose on the sleeve of her hoodie and crawled over to the bed, folding her arms on the bed and laying her head down by the blonde teen's injured legs. "Umm..." The boy wasn't sure what to say to give this girl some comfort. "How did you know him? Nathaniel? Was he family?"
Sniffling, Marinette shook her head, sitting up. "He might as well have been. I met him my first week here, and we were inseparable ever since." She paused, looking out the window at a flock of geese passing by. "He had alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, so he mostly stayed in bed, but some days, I'd help him into a wheelchair so he could paint or get some fresh air outside. The survival rate for ARMS is less than 50%, so Nathaniel knew he was going to die, but he was always so happy, so brave." She smiled. "He was a really great artist. I have one of his paintings hanging above my bed. It's of a lake with flowers and cattails and trees."
Wiping her nose on her sleeve again, Marinette looked to the boy in the bed. "What's your name, stranger?" she asked, trying to get her mind off of her dead friend.
He smiled, stretching out a bruised up arm to shake hands. "Adrien Agreste."
Marinette smiled back, letting out a deep breath, and shaking his hand gently. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's nice to meet you." She released his hand, tracing the patterns in his hospital blanket absentmindedly. "I just wish it was on better terms." Not able to think of anything else to say, she asked, "What happened to you? What's your story?"
Adrien cleared his throat, and laughed. "Car crash. The guy driving a water truck fell asleep and slammed into me. I'm lucky to still have my legs. I just got here, but I'm so ready to get out of this bed, to start my physical therapy and get back to my life."
"What was your life like?" she asked, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers.
Half smiling, Adrien replied, "College, studying, lots of reading, going to soccer games with my friends."
She smiled back at him. "Sounds like a nice life."
"Well what about you?" he asked, adjusting his posture. "What are you doing in here?"
"Why aren't you home?" she asked, ignoring his inquires. "You just have broken legs, so why haven't your parents taken you home?"
Shrugging, the blonde replied. "I'm an orphan. And I'm on strict bed rest, so someone has to take care of me. I hate feeling so helpless and pathetic."
She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the bed again and staring out the window at the rising sun. "That's rough; I'm sorry." They were both silent until she asked, "Wanna play Battleship?"
Adrien grinned. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"C-10."
"Damn, you sank my submarine," Adrien grumbled. Then he imitated a ship exploding, and Marinette giggled, lightly shoving him. "You've been here way too long. You're too good at this game," he told her, and she giggled again.
"We can play something else if you'd like. Nathaiel always kicked my ass at chess."
Adrien shook his head. "My friend Nino is a master at chess, but I suck at it. I think I'm just bad at board games in general." Then he studied his board. "E-4."
"Miss." They both added white pegs to their boards, and the black-haired girl smiled at him. "H-9."
The blonde threw his arms up in the air, and Marinette burst into laughter, almost falling over. "Hit," he sighed. "I'm starting to think you sold your soul to be good at board games, which is kinda sad."
She pushed him, making him laugh. "Just admit that I'm better than you and stop trying to come up with excuses."
"F-5."
"Hey!" she called happily. "You hit me!" He chuckled, throwing a fist into the air in victory as Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. "You'll still never be as good as me, young Padawan."
He bowed to her. "Please take me under your wing, Master."
"Maybe you'd be better at a game of chance. We could play Shoots n' Ladders next," she suggested. "Or maybe Sorry. Nathaniel preferred games of chance." She smiled weakly. "You remind me of him."
Adrien swallowed, staring into her eyes. She was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, with wavy, black hair draped softly over her shoulders, and she had such a wonderful, bubbly personality. Add her strength about what happened with Nathaniel and her board game prowess, and Adrien was already starting to feel head-over-heels for her.